


How a friendship is born

by scriptingSouls



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Well not really, a tiny bit of angst, how they became friends, how they first met, or attempts to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 04:11:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2567768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scriptingSouls/pseuds/scriptingSouls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story of how Makoto and Haru started their friendship early in their childhood years</p>
            </blockquote>





	How a friendship is born

His mom hummed as she got everything ready; it wasn’t hard to tell she was very excited about what she probably considered a wonderful idea. It made Haru’s frown grow. What did she expect? Did she really think this would be any different than all the times she had taken him to the park to play with the other kids?

He sat sulking on the wooden floor of the backyard. His feet hanging a few inches above the ground, he couldn’t wait until this day was over and it was bath time.

“You remember Mako-chan right?” His mom asked from inside the house as she finished sweeping the floor.

Haru didn’t utter a sound. He knew there was nothing he could do to get out of the play date his parents had arranged, but that wasn’t going to keep him from putting as much resistance as possible.

“Ah, you probably don’t, you haven’t seen each other in quite the long time, and you were probably two the last time we got you two together.” His mom didn’t seem bothered by his lack of response, she seemed to have grown immune to him not answering her.

“Has it really been that long? It’s a shame! They seemed to like each other!” came his dad’s voice from further inside the house. Great, thought Haru, now his dad had joined the conversation too, this could only get worse.

“Yeah, poor Mako-chan seems to have been coming down with the flu frequently since last year.”

“Really? He looked like a healthy kid the last time I saw him.”

His mom giggled at that.

“Well, it’s not strange really, kids his age are usually very prone to getting sick, Haru-chan is the odd one out who never gets sick.”

‘Haru-chan the odd.’ He heard that phrase a lot.

“Guess we lucked out!” was his dad teasing comment, half yelled from further inside the house. Probably the kitchen. Haru felt a surge of warmth at that.

“We sure did!”

And with that the conversation was over, at least for the time being. His mom resumed her humming and the house was submerged in the comfortable quiet that the lack of talking left behind. Only the sounds of his mom moving around the living room, arranging things, and the chirping of birds could be heard.

It was a beautifully sunny summer day, Haru had to admit.

It was the perfect day to be playing inside his inflatable pool. If only the play date were to happen in water he’d be a bit more thrilled at the idea. Of course, he wasn’t lucky and since the other kid seemed to be some kind of weakling who got sick even in summer his mom had refused to fill the pool.

Not a good way to win him over. Not at all.

He dangled his feet in the air wishing it was water and he frowned again as he recalled the quick-to-show-up smile on his play date’s face the last time he saw him.  
Haru did remember him, even if he refused to admit it to his mom or anyone. But he didn’t know if he could say they liked each other as his dad has assured, the neighbor’s kid probably didn’t even remember him. Last time he saw him, he didn’t even talk. Well, neither did Haru to be fair, but that was because he didn’t like to speak, not because he didn’t KNOW how to.

Basically his parents had arranged a play date with a baby. His mom had assured that now they were older the age difference wouldn’t show so much, Haru didn’t really care, it was better for him if the kid still didn’t know how to talk, it made things easier.

He was brought back from his musings by the sound of the door bell. He heard his mom let out an excited “that must be Hanako-san with Mako-chan,” as she dropped the broom causing his dad to laugh and shout a “don’t worry! I’ll get it!”

Haru felt his stomach turn once and then twice, he wasn’t ready for this. He clutched the fabric of his shorts tightly, his face as still as water, giving nothing away.  
He heard the unintelligible mingle of voices coming from the front door, male, female… and that of a child.  
Great, he thought, the brat learned to speak.

He could hear laughter and his mom’s voice joining in the noise party. Grownups’ voices uttered questioning sounds to a child that responded eagerly, raucous laughter following every time.  
“Look at Mako-chan’s smile so bright! Who did you guys bribe to get such an adorable kid?” he could make out his dad’s loud tone as the conversation seemed to become less hectic. The two women soon broke in giggles, the one that wasn’t his mom finally said goodbye to the kid, to both Haru’s relief… and dismay.

“I hope they can get along! If there’s any trouble please call me and I’ll come pick him up. Be nice to Haru-chan darling, ok?”

“I’m sure they will get along just fine! Don’t worry, Mako-chan is such an angel,” his mom answered dreamily as they said goodbye to the woman that was probably the boy’s mother.

“Come on Mako-chan, I’ll show you to Haru-chan and the toys!”

“Okay!” answered a squeaky energetic voice.

Soon after, too soon for Haru’s taste, his mom appeared on the back yard holding a small kid’s hand. Puffy brown hair and shiny green eyes, guarded by a pair of thick upturned eyebrows, he was a lot bigger than the last time Haru had seen him, but he was still shorter than Haru by a few inches.

“Mako-chan, this is Haru-chan, Haru, this is Mako-chan,” Haru’s mom said with a smile. The kid squeezed his mom’s hand and Haru couldn’t help furrowing his lips.  
“Nice to meet you Haru-chan,” said the brunette overtaken by a sudden case of shyness.

Haru’s mom tried to suppress a giggle, “It’s ok Mako-chan don’t be shy! It’s not the first time you two have seen each other. You used to play together a lot when you were younger and your mom and I used to visit each other more often, do you remember him?”

The other kid shook his head slightly, looking at the floor. Ha! Haru knew it! And what was the kid’s problem? He couldn’t talk all of a sudden? Was he one of those kids who clung to their mommies and daddies and other kid’s mommies and daddies?

It was going to be a long, long day.  
.

 

 

“Come on Haru-chan you’re missing all the fun” Nanase-san shouted as he finished giving Makoto another ‘airplane ride’ above his shoulders, putting him on the ground.  
Makoto tried his best to stop giggling when he heard Haru-chan’s name, suddenly being reminded of the silent kid’s presence.

He looked at the pair of judgmental blue eyes one more time and confirmed that the other boy still didn’t like him one tiny bit.

He didn’t know what he was doing wrong, it made him feel so ashamed, and his stomach hadn’t stop jumping since he arrived at the Nanases’ house.

He was trying his best to stop the tears from coming. He didn’t like crying, especially not in front of people he didn’t know; he didn’t want to embarrass his parents but… things were going exactly the way Makoto had feared the most, perhaps even worse than that.

He had been so excited, to finally make a friend. His mom always told him as soon as he got better she’d take him to the park, it had been ages since she made that promise, but he was always sick.  
When she did take him, he was too shy to approach the other kids, they all seemed to be friends already, it was natural, they had all been playing together while Makoto was at home in his pajamas, coloring books in bed.

He told himself it was ok, he had fun with his parents, like going grocery shopping with mom, it was always entertaining to help her pick the stuff, she always praised him when he managed to reach something from a low shelf.  
It was in those trips that they usually ran into Nanase-san. She was so pretty and nice to Makoto, always saying what a nice friendly boy he was, and how he would get along very well with her son, who was just as shy him and didn’t have friends either.

It had made him excited, knowing that there was another kid just like him, so close to his house. Maybe he had foolishly thought it was meant to be, that they were meant to be friends.  
He found himself asking questions about Haru-chan, blushing when their moms giggled and said it was cute how interested he was. He had a vague memory of the kid, blue eyes and dark hair and very cool. He had been very little and couldn’t even talk properly, so he stayed quiet, but he remembered he really liked watching Haru play with his toys.

Now Haru’s toys laid on the ground, untouched, Haru still sitting on the floor like he had been when Makoto first arrived.

“Come oooooon Haru-chan!” his dad uttered one more time with a playful singsong tone.

“Otherwise the tickle monster will have to have a word with you!” Makoto didn’t think Haru-chan’s eyes could get colder without turning to ice but they somehow did and even his dad backed away and sighed “…or maybe not”

It was probably his fault, he wanted to tell Nanase-san to not give Haru-chan a hard time for it. Makoto had just expected too much out of Haru-chan before he even truly met him. Maybe Haru-chan had plans for today, or maybe he had other friends, and he was forced to play with Mako just because Haru-chan’s mom felt sorry for him.

He felt like a fool for having waited for that day so eagerly, so much that the night before it took him an eternity to fall asleep. Getting up earlier than usual, he spent all morning asking his mom what time it was and how long until he could go to Haru-chan’s… every five minutes, or so she told him, he couldn’t tell how that big round thing on the wall was supposed to tell time.  
Either way, it didn’t matter. Haru-chan hadn’t uttered a word since he had arrived.

The Nanases had been extremely sweet though, just like his own parents, or maybe more. Haru-chan’s dad had insisted on Mako calling him Natsuhiko, or just Natsu but Makoto felt it was wrong to do so.

Haru-chan’s mom had told him she’d made Mako-chan’s favorite cookies for them to eat after they got tired of playing and told him he should go to her for whatever he wanted, to not hesitate.  
Haru-chan’s dad had joined their nonexistent play to “break the ice” almost immediately. Makoto hadn’t met him before, but he quickly decided he liked him a lot. He was fun and loud and picked up Makoto almost right away and swung him around the air until he couldn’t stop laughing, he had probably never felt as comfortable with someone so fast.

“…I’m sorry Mako-chan, Haru is not used to being around kids his age, why don’t we go pick up some more toys from his room and give Haru-chan a few minutes by himself?”

Makoto wanted to protest, to say he didn’t want to go to Haru’s room without Haru’s permission, and that it wasn’t Haru’s fault, but he couldn’t disobey Nanase-san either.  
So he settled for nodding.  
.

 

 

Haru bit his lips hard, hearing the footsteps of his dad and Mr. Smiley walking away, he tried not to mind the pang in his chest, and to ignore the other set of footsteps coming closer.  
“Haruka…” it was his mom’s voice, it was gentler than he thought it would be.

“I don’t like being called that,” he surprised himself saying, even if in a very quiet voice. Why had they named him like that he’d never know, so old ladies could say it was such a pretty name, they never said that about his dad’s name, even though everyone called him Natsu, why couldn’t they call him Haru?

“I know… “his mom said with a smile.

“Please Haru-chan, why can’t you give Mako-chan a chance? You’re being very rude! He’s just a kid, he’s probably nervous and afraid.”

Haru wanted to shout that it wasn’t his fault, that he knew it would go this way, that was why he didn’t want the play date in the first place. It wasn’t like he liked being the villain but… He didn’t like the kid, how could he? When he was everything Haru was not, he talked a lot, he smiled all the time, his face told everyone what he was feeling, it was annoying.

He was probably one of those kids who ruled the playground, laughing and playing with all the other kids. He’d probably played in every see saw, every swing, every slide without a care in the world, just a permanent smile on his face. Haru bet he had tons of fun, and he never cared about what other kids thought of him, or said… why would he? They all loved him… just like his parents.  
And why wouldn’t they? He was the perfect son… and everything Haru was not.

He trained his eyes on the ground and hardened his face to fight something rising within him; he had to, he would never ever let his mom see it.  
She sighed.

“You win Haru, after today… no more play dates.” She tried to mask the disappointment in her voice, but Haru knew better.

 

 

.

Once away from Haru-chan, Makoto dared to tell Nanase-san that he didn’t want to enter Haru-chan’s room unless Haru-chan invited him. The man laughed strenuously and looked at Makoto like he had said something unbelievable “you truly are something Mako-chan” he ruffled his hair

He then knelt to meet his eyes with a sweet gaze.

“I know Haru-chan can be intimidating but don’t let that get to you ok? He’s probably as afraid of you as you are of him!” the man laughed.  
Makoto really doubted that, there was not a sign of fear in Haru’s face, but… it did make him feel hopeful.

“Please, give him one more chance ok? I… really would like it if Haru-chan had you as a friend,” the man said with a surprisingly gentle voice and Makoto couldn’t say no to that.  
.

 

 

After a few minutes of deafening silence he heard footsteps again, this time soft and hesitant.

An alarm went off in his head before he could process the implications of the lack of laughter and chit chat those feet carried.

And sure thing, seconds later the boy walked past Haru and sat a few feet away, as if afraid Haru would bite him. So the scaredy-cat act wasn’t just when his parents were around… strange.  
They stayed like that in uncomfortable silence. Haru refused to look him in the eyes, and kept wondering where had his mom and dad gone, why did they leave him with the cheerful kid if they thought he was so horrible around him?

Irresponsible.

The boy busied himself studying Haru’s toys that his mom had laid neatly on the ground, but he didn’t touch them.  
Minutes went by, hours maybe, Haru wouldn’t know. He guessed the silence, as awkward as it was, was slowly soothing him, for from the middle of the raging sea of emotions inside his chest one feeling rose above all the others, overpowering them… boredom.

Soon it was all he could feel, and that probably relaxed him enough, or drove him as insane as needed for him to absentmindedly reach for a dolphin water gun that lay in the pile of toys. He hadn’t realized of the action and when he did it was much too late, to both stop, and to reach the toy… for the other boy had grabbed it first.

…

 

 

For the first time since he arrived that day, he could see some semblance of emotion on Haru-chan’s face, shock. Granted, it wasn’t exactly something to feel proud about but the way the other boy’s eyes opened wide made him stop in his track for one second and just… stare.

It was only for a second though; the plastic feel of the toy in his hand broke the spell as he realized what he had done.

He hadn’t truly meant to grab a toy, or so he thought, but the dolphin thingy that looked like a pistol confused him, it seemed it had water inside and he had never seen something like that, his hand was reaching for it before he could realize and then… Haru-chan’s hand was reaching too.

He felt his face heat up like it never had before, not when Nanase-san said he was an adorable boy, not when the ladies at the park pinched his cheeks, not even when he wet his bed after overhearing kids in the parks tell ghost stories.

“I..I-m so-sorry” He stuttered and cursed himself. No! This was not the moment to break. He did something wrong and he had to face it.

“There, you can have it, it’s yours… Haru-chan” he tried to work the best smile he could onto his face, it felt weird around his lips but he hoped with all he had in him that it worked, even if all the previous ones had failed miserably.  
..

 

 

Haru looked at the boy in shock again, a strange smile frozen on his face as he had let go of the toy as if it was scalding hot.  
Why would he do that?

He reached it first, it’s not like kids to let go of something they want, he would not have let go, he would have fought over that dolphin with all he had.

  
“Why?” he thought, but his traitorous mouth decided to give it volume and speak it out loud.  
It was the other kids turn to be shocked, green eyes blew open to a size Haru never imagined possible, upturn eyebrows almost vertical.

“It is yours Haru-chan…. “

What kind of answer was that? It was so lame he couldn’t help not getting angry at the annoying chan.

“So? You grabbed it first.”

“But it’s yours and you didn’t give me permission to touch it, I didn’t mean to, it just… caught my eye,” the kid furrowed his brows and Haru was surprised he was capable of such an expression.

Stubborn…

And inexplicable…

The kids he knew never cared about getting permission to salvage his toys.

“If you want it, take it,” he found himself saying much to his surprise, he immediately looked to the side, not knowing what else to do. That kid was worse than he thought, made him feel guilty for being mean to him, yet still annoyed him, and somehow he had managed to make him break his unbreakable wall of silence, from within.

Maybe he wasn’t as innocent as he looked.

“No but, Haru-chan was going to take it first! I don’t really want it, I was just curious to what it was, it seems a gun but… does it have water inside?”

Haru raised an eyebrow, did this kid truly not know what a water gun was? Or was he acting like an idiot just to make Haru drop his guard? Maybe it was a trick.

“It’s a water gun” he said defensively.

“Ahhhh so it shoots water?” the kid’s confusion seemed real though.

“Hmmm to play in summer.”

“Ahh…” there was a tone of sadness in that voice that Haru didn’t like, suddenly he found himself panicking, wishing to see that smile back and not knowing why.

“You don’t have one?” Why was he making chit chat, with another kid of all people?

“I’ve never played outside in summer before, I’ve always been sick, so I don’t know much about water games, sorry.”

Did that mean… He’d never been in a pool before? He wanted to ask but he had asked too much already…

Silence fell between them again, this time it wasn’t uncomfortable, just… strange.

They didn’t have to wait long to be disturbed though as a meow nearby caught both their attention.  
One of the stray cats decided to pay a visit and jumped from the fence to the ground, slowly approaching them, it was then, when Haru realized, the kid was afraid.

He was trying his best to pretend he wasn’t but he wasn’t fooling anyone, his fists tight, gripping his pants, his face tense and his eyes fixed on the small animal, as if sirens were about to start shooting lights out of them.  
…

 

 

Just when Makoto thought they were making progress, and he didn’t feel like he was offending Haru just by being there, he saw the cat approaching.

He loved animals, he truly did, but he was still afraid, he couldn’t help being afraid… of everything.

He closed his eyes and waited… for the animal to attack or… for Haru-chan to laugh.

“It won’t hurt you.”

What? The voice, calm, with no hint of annoyance or mockery startled him, his eyes were open before he knew it and what they saw was Haru-chan holding the animal gently, but securely as if not to let it lose… maybe… just maybe so Makoto could feel safe… no, it probably wasn’t it but... he wanted to believe it.

“You can pet it if you want, it’s tame.”

And that was it, the moment he wouldn’t know until much later, when he realized, the person Haru-chan truly was. He didn’t notice it, wouldn’t have been able to understand, but a part of him did, and he didn’t question it… ever again.

Somehow, he trusted Haru-chan, so when he stretched his hand to pet the fluffy black cat, he didn’t hesitate and soon, his fingers were sinking into soft fluff, accepting its warmth.

“Wow, Haru-chan… is so brave.” the words slipped from his already open mouth, agape in awe. He blushed almost instantly and stole a glance at the boy expecting to see a frown…

But there was only a matching blush of Haru’s face, well his left side, for he had turned his head away.

“Don’t add chan to it… Makoto”

Haru-chan…. Said his name.

Makoto’s face erupted in a full blown smile.

“Ok… Haru”  
…

 

 

“So Mako-chan, how was it?” his mother asked when Nanase-san dropped him at his door later that night.

“I had fun!” he said, proudly.

“Did you make a friend, son?” his dad asked from the kitchen table as he stole snacks before dinner.

“I don’t know… but I think so,” he said shyly, crossing his fingers.

“What kind of an answer is that?” dad asked with amusement.

“Guess we’ll have to see,” mom answered for him and Makoto agreed.

He knew Haru-chan was a kind person now, he was sure of it, someone who didn’t make fun of him for not knowing things, or for being afraid.  
He was just lonely, but… not anymore, he promised it.

 

 

 

…  
“Come on Haru! It’s time to leave the bath! I’ll fill the pool for you tomorrow as a reward for today,” his mother smiled giddy, he didn’t like her amusement. He knew it had everything to do with the fact that when she inquired if there would be a repeat of their date at the end of it, he just shrugged and looked away.

He liked less the fact that before his mom could say “that means yes!” Makoto was already smiling.

Well he guessed it was ok, he had been wrong about Makoto, maybe they had more in common than he thought or maybe not. But when he closed his eyes before sleep that night, he saw that full smile again, and maybe his lips turned upwards involuntarily.

He supposed he had a friend now.

 

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, sorry it was kinda awkward. This hc has been floating around in my head for ages. I didn't mean to make Haru's parents cold if they came out like that, nor to make Haru such a jerk lol, I truly wanted to write more and give more insight but this is as far as my writing ability goes. 
> 
> First one shot I've ever done, did it mostly for the sake of saying I finally finished something.


End file.
